It is commonly known to use holographic techniques in order to reproduce a real three-dimensional scene of an object, said scene containing all depth information which is used by the human brain in image processing. Holography is a technique for recording and later reproduction of amplitude and phase distributions of a wave front. More precisely, an interference pattern of coherent light reflected by an object and light which comes directly from a light source is recorded on a recording medium, such as a photographic plate. If the interference pattern, which is also known as a hologram, is illuminated with coherent light, a three-dimensional scene will appear in a volume. Typically, a real three-dimensional object is used to generate a hologram using known methods and techniques; thus generated holograms are known as true holograms. However, computer-generated holograms (CGH) may be used as well.
Usually, the reconstructed scene is viewed directly, i.e. the observer looks on to the computer-generated hologram, for example, which comprises regularly arranged pixels which have been encoded in accordance with the hologram values. Due to the discrete recording and because of the effects of diffraction, the reconstruction of the CGH is only possible within one periodicity interval of the diffraction spectrum, which is defined by the resolution of the CGH-bearing medium. The reconstruction is typically repeated showing irregularities in adjacent periodicity intervals.
Reversible CGH recording media include spatial light modulators, such as LCD (liquid crystal displays), LCoS (liquid crystal on silicon), OASLM (optically addressed spatial light modulator) etc., which modulate the phase and amplitude of incident light. Further, it is known that MEMS-based light modulators can be used to modulate phase and/or amplitude of light. Optical elements which transform the CGH into the desired plane are also often used for reconstructing two- and three-dimensional scenes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,172,251, for example, discloses a projection device with a one-dimensional light modulator for reconstructing a three-dimensional scene. The light modulator is an acousto-optic modulator which is controlled by modulation signals of a data processing system, thus encoding a one-dimensional hologram. The reconstruction is diminished with the help of several optical elements, so as to increase the viewing angle in the horizontal direction. A horizontal scanner continuously combines partial holograms of the scene and balances the movement of the partial holograms along the modulator. The horizontal scanner is synchronised with the speed of the acoustic wave, so that the scanned areas of the original image from the modulator appear fixed in the reconstructed scene. In addition, a vertical scanner is provided in order to position in the vertical direction the horizontal one-dimensional holograms.
However, because that projection device uses an acousto-optic modulator (AOM), it exhibits the disadvantage of requiring additional elements such as the horizontal scanner which aims to balance the signal movement. This makes the design rather difficult and complex. Moreover, the modulator must work at high speed. Another drawback is the small aperture of the AOM, which requires sub-holograms to be stringed together.
EP 1 467 263 A1 also discloses a holographic display device for reconstructing a three-dimensional scene. The display device comprises a reflective light modulator, a beam splitter for projecting a hologram, a light source, a shutter, a field lens and a collimator lens. The hologram is generated on a computer using three-dimensional object information and then displayed on the light modulator. The light modulator is then illuminated with light emitted by the light source and imaged through the beam splitter, such that a three-dimensional scene is reconstructed. The reconstructed scene is thereby created around the field lens. A colour reconstruction of the scene, where the colour light sources are disposed close to each other, is also mentioned. These light sources simultaneously emit light of different wavelengths.